Icebreaker

The next morning, Ian tells Nathan that he likes Anastasia because she reminds him of Nathan’s mother: the one person who stood up to his grandfather, and the only person to ever stand up for him. Ian also tells Nathan that it is clear Anastasia loves him and that he is lucky. Nathan demands to know why Ian cheated on his mother, and when Ian admits that his actions are unforgivable, Nathan realizes that his father hates himself.

Soon afterward, Nathan and Anastasia go back to Los Angeles, and Anastasia confesses that she wants to move back to Aaron’s condo; he has been cleared to skate again, and she wants to repair her professional relationship with him. Nathan hates the idea, and snaps at her in anger, saying that he is being relegated to a Thursday-night hookup. He immediately apologizes, telling her that he doesn’t trust Aaron, but he does trust her. The next day, Coach Faulkner confirms that Nathan can rejoin the hockey team. Although Nathan’s instinct is to interfere and stop Anastasia from moving back in with Aaron, he knows that he owes it to Anastasia to work on his jealousy.

Anastasia visits Henry in his room and asks if he wants to talk. Henry says he can’t stop thinking about her almost drowning. Anastasia assures him that she is fine and asks him to stop looking up statistics about figure skating accidents. Anastasia talks with Aaron in Coach Brady’s office, with Brady moderating. Aaron begins by admitting he has been cruel, but Anastasia wants more of an apology. She refers to some of the things that Aaron has done and said, and Coach Brady is shocked by what he said about Anastasia’s parents not loving her. Aaron gives the excuse that his father left his mother for someone their age, and that Anastasia was not around to help him through that. He recommends they see a couples’ therapist, and Brady agrees. Anastasia feels that he is dangling therapy as a ruse to manipulate her. She says she will think about it but that it will only be a professional partnership, not a friendship. Aaron insists upon friendship.

When Anastasia gets home, Nathan is waiting for her with flowers, but she is not happy. She tells him that she doesn’t trust him not to make her feel bad about Aaron right now, and he tells her to take the time she needs. The next morning, Anastasia wakes up in Robbie’s bed with Lola, and she doesn’t remember why. She drank too much the night before and feels sick. She texts Nathan, and he tells her that she wouldn’t come to bed with him because she wanted to snuggle with Lola. Nathan shows up and takes care of her, telling her that because she called Russ “muffin” in front of everyone, that is now Russ’s nickname. Back in Nathan’s room, Anastasia apologizes for being moody about the situation with Aaron. Nathan tells her that he wants to be honest about how much Aaron is bothering him, and she tells him about the meeting in Brady’s office.

For two weeks, Nathan is busy with hockey responsibilities. Arena Two is reopened, so hockey and figure skating practices are separate again. Nathan is rusty at hockey, but he is a better skater because of Anastasia. He misses seeing her before practice and practicing with her. Anastasia starts her therapy with Aaron, and although she comes back crying and overwhelmed after each session, they don’t talk about it because it irritates Nathan and leads to arguments. Nathan’s roommates agree that Nathan is obsessed with Aaron.

Anastasia watches Nathan play hockey for the first time. Maple Hills wins the game, and Nathan plays well. Anastasia’s dad watches the game from Seattle and wishes Nathan good luck beforehand. After the game, Anastasia jumps into Nathan’s arms and gushes about the game, joking about dropping out of college and becoming a hockey wife. On their way out, Nathan asks how therapy with Aaron went, and Anastasia admits that she is moving back in with him. The therapist thinks it is a good idea because nationals is in one week and they are still out of sync on the ice. Nathan gets upset and snaps at her, saying that she is falling for Aaron’s tricks. They fight, and Anastasia says that while she knows Nathan wants to protect her, he has to respect her decision. She doesn’t have time to protect his ego when the most important moment of her skating career is in one week.

Anastasia and Lola watch television and complain about men. One of the actors in Lola’s theater production upsets her, and Anastasia is frustrated about Nathan. She tells Lola that she doesn’t want to live with Aaron next year, nor the hockey house. Lola agrees, saying, “Let’s have a fresh start” (384).

By not listening to Anastasia’s feelings about Aaron, Nathan is hurting her. He wants to be the only man she needs, and right now he isn’t. He has a healthy response to all other problems, but not this one. Anastasia used to ignore the red flags with Aaron, but she now sees him for what he is and needs him only as a skating partner, not as a friend. She no longer cares about gaining Aaron’s approval in her life, and she is eating well despite feeling his silent criticism. During the next practice, Anastasia snaps at Aaron when he complains about her having gained weight. She tells him to get stronger, and he storms off.

Nathan’s roommates ambush him while he is wallowing on the couch. JJ says that Nathan should support Anastasia’s decision to make sacrifices for her career rather than making her feel guilty for not doing what Nathan wants. Robbie and Henry agree with JJ, saying that Nathan’s ego is getting in the way. Nathan is worried that Aaron will manipulate Anastasia into believing that she needs him more than she needs Nathan. Nathan’s friends assure him that they love her, too, and they want him to fix things on their date tonight.

Nathan takes Anastasia to a fancy restaurant in Malibu. They chat comfortably on the way, and Nathan tells her about Henry’s and Russ’s budding friendship. He realizes how lucky he is to have someone willing to go to war for the people she loves, and realizes that she is “going to war for herself now” (391). At dinner, Anastasia senses that he is nervous and asks him what is going on. Finally, Nathan apologizes. He apologizes for making her feel like he doesn’t support her goals and for how he has been talking to her recently. He tells her that he knows she can take care of herself, and he needs to let her handle her figure skating situation however she sees fit. She reassures him that nobody can replace him and states that he has helped her to become strong enough to deal with Aaron. That night, Nathan drops her off. She will be leaving for San Diego in the morning for nationals, and she needs rest.

Anastasia is prepared for the competition the next day, but she feels anxious anyway. She suddenly misses Nathan, so she calls him and asks if he can spend the night. He comes over right away, and they go to the bedroom and start to fool around. Nathan tells her to “ask me nicely” (398) what to do, and he does what she asks. She calls out his name, and he calls her “such a good girl” (399). They finish and reaffirm their love for each other.

Anastasia is grumpy in the morning, and she vomits from the anxiety, as she usually does before a competition. Her first routine with Aaron is scheduled for today, and if they qualify, they will do a second routine tomorrow. Nathan has a hockey game against UCLA today, but he plans to drive down to San Diego as soon as he can to watch Anastasia. The Titans beat UCLA easily, and Faulkner lets Nathan leave afterward. On his way out, the UCLA captain, Cory O’Neill, stops Nathan and asks about his time off from hockey. When Nathan tells him what happened, Cory realizes that he is talking about Aaron and Anastasia and tells Nathan that Aaron got hurt on Halloween, playing football with his UCLA friends. This confirmation of Aaron’s deception makes Nathan furious, but he knows he needs to put that anger aside for Anastasia’s sake.

Nathan gets to his seat just as the pairs skating competition begins. The hockey team watches the competition online and sends texts about it in their group chat. Watching Anastasia skate reminds Nathan of all the times he spent practicing with her. Their routine goes perfectly, but then, during the applause, Aaron suddenly kisses Anastasia.

Anastasia tries to stop the kiss, but she doesn’t want to make a scene. Afterward, Aaron is triumphant, and Coach Brady is happy because it was an incredible performance. Brady tries to hug Anastasia, but Anastasia is on the verge of tears and storms off into the tunnel. Aaron grabs her arm to stop her. Coach Brady tells her to think of her career and orders her back onto the ice, but Anastasia tells them both that she is “done” (409). Suddenly, Nathan shows up, and Anastasia falls into his arms. Aaron acts as though he did nothing wrong, and Nathan punches him.

Coach Brady convinces Nathan to leave and tells Anastasia to put on a strong face for the next 15 minutes. The judges’ score puts them in first place; Aaron and Coach Brady cheer, but Anastasia walks away as soon as the camera stops recording. Coach Brady and Aaron chase her down the tunnel, and Brady apologizes. Anastasia repeats that she is “done” (411). Coach Brady says she won’t let Anastasia quit over a kiss, but Anastasia is determined. She tells them to withdraw her name from the competition and tells Aaron, “I’d rather skate alone and risk failing than succeed with you” (412).

Nathan takes her to the hotel to grab her things, and they start driving back to Los Angeles. Anastasia sees that her parents are calling her but ignores them, worried that they will be angry. When her dad calls Nathan, the phone goes to speaker through the car, and Nathan pretends that Anastasia is asleep and tells her father what happened. Her father is not angry and only wants to make sure she’s okay. When they stop off at Aaron’s apartment to grab some of Anastasia’s things, they find Lola and Nathan’s roommates already packing. Lola hugs Anastasia and tells her that they are both moving to Nathan’s house.

Three months later, Nathan gets ready for a meeting with Director Skinner. The Maple Hills hockey team won the NCAA championship a few weeks ago in Denver. Anastasia, Robbie’s parents, and Anastasia’s parents all attended. Although Nathan’s father didn’t go or care, Anastasia’s father boasted about him to everyone.

Skinner tells Nathan that a student—most likely Anastasia—came to him and clarified the incident between him and Aaron. An independent investigation has confirmed that Aaron was injured off-campus and lied because of a vendetta against Nathan. Skinner also tells Nathan that Aaron transferred to UCLA. This is great news for Anastasia, and Nathan is glad that she won’t have to deal with him anymore. Afterward, Nathan has a meeting with Coach Faulkner and recommends that Henry replace him as captain. Robbie also recommends Henry. At home, JJ and Anastasia cook, and everyone eats together while Nathan watches Anastasia adoringly and thinks about how much more carefree she seems these days.

Two years later, Anastasia meets Dr. Andrews at his office in Seattle. She is pregnant. She accidentally vomited her birth control pill on the morning of her Olympics routine. She won gold in women’s singles, and Nathan impregnated her while they were celebrating. Nathan’s Vancouver team won the Stanley Cup, but now he is transferring to Seattle. After therapy, she returns home where her parents, Nathan, and their golden retriever Bunny are waiting. Her parents are there to pick up the dog because Nathan and Anastasia are leaving for their “babymoon” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. On their way, people stop them for photos because they are both famous.

In Cabo, they stay at a giant beach house. One day, they head out to dinner in a private beach area of a restaurant covered in rose petals. Anastasia orders too much food and overeats while Nathan is quieter than usual. She thinks about her life and never expected to be this happy. Then Nathan gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him. She says yes.